1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to disposable medical devices and, in particular, to disposable probes capable of simultaneous monitoring of multiple functions within a human body, and to connectors for connecting such disposable probes to suitable instruments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable medical probes have become an important part of modern medical practice, and flexible probes for monitoring a variety of conditions within the human body are widely employed. It is frequently necessary for a plurality of body functions to be monitored simultaneously by means of a single probe placed within a body cavity. In some cases one of these functions may be best monitored by electrical means associated with the probe, and another of these functions may be best monitored by some other physical phenomenon, such as sound. In other cases, it may be desirable that the probe provide both for monitoring a condition by means of electrical signals and for transmission of fluid to and from the patient.
There is a recognized need for reliable and economical disposable probes capable of monitoring such multiple body functions. The use of the disposable probes eliminates the costly and time-consuming sterilization procedures and also eliminates the risk of contamination which may result from improper or incomplete sterilization. Such disposable probes must not only be reasonably economical, but they must function fully and accurately for the duration of any medical procedure involved.
Various medical procedures for which probes are required, and particularly where disposable probes are desired, give rise to requirements that such disposable probes be easily and effectively connected with and disconnected from monitoring instruments with minimum risk of contamination of contacts and with assurance of good transmission of any electrical signals involved, that the probe be able to withstand extreme bending or stretching in any direction, that, where necessary, it provide excellent acoustical coupling with minimum interference by or with the electrical signals, and that, where necessary, it provide for unobstructed flow of fluid through the probe without interference with any of the other functions performed by the probe.
The prior art has disclosed a number of disposable probes which include provision for transmission of electrical signals and for transmission of sound or unobstructed flow of fluid. Such prior art probes have included provision for connecting the probe to suitable electrical or sound monitoring instruments.
Such prior art probes, however, have suffered from various defects which limit their achievement of the full range of objectives desired for disposable probes. For example, in some cases, they have failed to provide optimum flexibility along with sure transmission of electrical signals. In other cases, the arrangement provided for making connection to external instruments has required extreme care in order to assure good electrical connection, or has been unduly expensive, or has been constructed so as to have a risk of contamination of electrical contacts.
These deficiencies of the prior art have been overcome, and a disposable probe has been provided which includes a simple and effective connection for transmitting electrical signals to monitoring instruments, which assures that the contacts are clean and free of contamination, and which provides the requisite flexibility for internal use without sacrifice of the effective transmission of electrical and acoustic signals and transmission of fluid when required.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a disposable probe and connector arrangement which is economical, which has a requisite flexibility for internal use in a variety of situations, which provides for simple and easy connection to external instruments, and which provides for maintaining clean electrical contacts and avoiding inadvertent contamination thereof.